Baggiesfaninessex
Group: Members
Posts: 682
Joined: Mar. 2002 |
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Posted: Oct. 08 2005, 15:48 |
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Well, having been sold out at Play.com literally from the day of release, my (pre-ordered  ) copy arrived this morning and I have played it all of the way through once. Interesting.
On first listen of Light, I thought Angelique is a cracker - a fine example of how Mike can compose a really great tune and arrange it all so perfectly. Unfortunately, the next couple of tracks go downhill from there - Blackbird I found plodding and The Gate is a dirge in my opinion. Thankfully, First Steps really hits a peak for me - super track, plenty of changes and a fabulous bit of sequencing in the second half of the track. Closer is Tattoo 2 without the bagpipes and Our Father is not bad but drags on a little perhaps. Rocky hits another low but thankfully Sunset is a good track and a lovely lift at the end of Light. Prés De Toi is a bit of a throwaway really but it is a bonus and I always enjoy extras.
Now over to Shade. Quicksilver is a cracker. I may be a prog dinosaur but I do like my Euphoria albums too - infectious beats and ideal for the gym! Resolution is great too, I like it when Mike rocks. Things are looking up. I won't go further into track by track analysis on Shade now, but suffice to say I prefer it because it is more lively and far from being darker, I actually find it a more uplifting listening experience. But remember, this is on first listen.
If there is one aspect that spoils Shade though, it is the use of computerised vocals. This isn't a criticism of Mike, merely my opinion on first listen - opinions can change and I need to listen far more prior to voting in some of the polls for instance. However, I would simple prefer to hear Maggie Reilly or similar rather than a vocoder for the 21st Century. Tears of an Angel for instance, is a great track with a beautiful guitar work but those vocals? I don't agree with opinions that this is a lazy effort from Mike. I think the range of music across both albums is huge. I think the guitar and bass work is as good as ever - if a little more subtle than some of his earlier work. But perhaps where I do agree with many is that I still prefer Mike to work with a drummer rather than a drum machine, a vocalist rather than a vocoder and so on. There is more emphasis on piano in a few tracks on Light and I think I have said before, Mike's best work in my opinion is when keyboards support the lead line but don't become it and frankly, his piano work is not the best. Still, I am pleased overall and on balance and considering I only paid £8.99 via Play - it is a bargain; I would have paid £8.99 for a CD single of Mike's so to get a double CD is fabulous. 
And what about Lakme? I have loved this tune for years - courtesy of TV adverts, yet I had never got around to sourcing it. Well, Mike's arrangement works for me. I appreciate that Eurobeats aren't everyone's cup of tea, but rather like TubularBelle wrote on another thread, since TBIII didn't deliver as much dance as I expected, Shade has plugged a gap for me in terms of Mike's output.
There's plenty to listen to and absorb further over these two rather diverse albums so these opinions may well be subject to change over the coming weeks. 
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“A dog is not intelligent. Never trust an animal that's surprised by its own farts.” - Frank Skinner
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